Through their Kohl's Cares(r) Scholarship Program, Kohl's department store will recognize nearly 2,200 young volunteers nationwide who positively impacted their communities through volunteerism. This year's program celebrates 11 years of recognizing the volunteer initiatives of remarkable kids across the country.

There were five local winners from our area: Pooja Kachhia, age 18, Fremont; Nathanial Leon, age 12, Fremont; Rajeswari Ramanathan, age 17, Fremont; Sajan Shah, age 17, Milpitas; Makenzie Stange, age 8, Newark.

Each student will receive a $50 gift card and a recognition certificate from Kohl's to reward efforts that have made a difference in their communities.

They also qualify for the chance to receive a $1,000 regional scholarship for post-secondary education, which Kohl's will award in July.

Of the more than 200 regional winners, 10 national winners will each receive a total of $10,000 in scholarships and Kohl's will donate $1,000 to a nonprofit organization on each national winner's behalf. In total, Kohl's will recognize nearly 2,200 nominees with nearly $420,000 in scholarships and prizes this year, at a time when 55 percent of bachelor's degree recipients at public colleges borrow money and are finding education increasingly difficult to afford.

"Through our Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program, Kohl's has had the privilege of honoring thousands of outstanding young volunteers across the country and we are thrilled to recognize nearly 2,200 additional amazing kids in 2011," said Julie Gardner, Kohl's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "We are consistently impressed and inspired by the efforts of kids who are dedicated to bettering their communities through volunteerism and it's our pleasure to recognize these deserving youth by investing in their future."

A list of all winners from California is available at www.kohlskids.com.